My Poor King
by Oreocooky
Summary: Nathan saved Solomon's life and has been taking care of him. Solomon is growing attached to him and it's slightly bothering both Nathan and Solomon, these new-found feelings towards each other.  Warning: Solomon X Nathan
1. Sweet Dreams

_My Poor King…_

Prelude: It picks up in the series when Solomon has just defended Saya from James and James receives the thorn. James doesn't die, however. Instead, he runs off. Solomon tells Saya that should she need anything, just call his name. He'd make sure he was there. He leaves, unwilling to tell her that her sword had left a minor cut on his left shoulder near his neck.

Now, Solomon is leaning on a fence elsewhere. He hasn't started crystallizing yet and is wondering if what he did was right. He finds himself happy he's dying, since Diva rejects now and Saya has Haji.

Warning: The characters do not act exactly like they would in the Blood+ series! They are not my characters, but I've made some minor modifications between them. This is a Nathan X Solomon fanfic!

Warning: The POV of this fanfic changes back and forth between Nathan and Solomon's perspective, though it is mostly third person omniscient.

***Chapter I***

Sweet Dreams

Solomon began pushing himself as hard as he could. He needed to be away from Diva and Saya and all his brothers. He'd never be as fast as some of them, but he was still fast -as is the nature of the chevalier. His eyes were filling with tears and he couldn't explain it. _Why is this happening to me? I don't understand… I'm such an idiot…_

He'd never be happy with some of the decisions he made. It was just the nature of his choice. He left the person he was living for behind for his mortal enemy, and she rejected him. He was foolish for thinking there was any chance for them, especially with Haji there. _He and Saya love each other, and they deserve each other. _

He kept running, as if he could outrun the world. He ran until he simply couldn't run anymore, and continued trying anyway. He stopped after he felt his legs would fall apart and leaned on a fence, ignoring the now burning sensation in his shoulder. His eyes were stinging with tears, but not out of sorrow. He couldn't be happier that he was dying, he'd convinced himself of this during the run. It was the burning sensation in his shoulder. Most kyropterin crystallized instantly, Solomon was still standing there. His hand on his shoulder was proof enough to him he wasn't crystallizing yet, since he could still feel flesh and blood. "You _idiot._" _And now you're getting what you deserve…_ He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Looks like you're having a little problem here."

Nathans voice scared Solomon. He wasn't expecting someone to be here after he'd ran that far. But Nathan was the fastest of them, so it did make sense that he'd be able to keep up.

"What do you want?"

"Hm…" Solomon could hear the smile in Nathans voice. Nathan was always smiling, that gay bastard. He never seemed to get upset about anything. It could be so irritating. No one dared attack him, though. James already made that mistake. "I came to see if you needed anything. That was _quite_ a noble act you performed for Saya."

Solomon's eyes flinched at the recognition of what he did, though he didn't deny it. He wasn't ashamed of it either.

"You betrayed us all _again_, Solomon. You were offered a chance to come back, and denied it. If you wanted to be with Saya so badly, why are you crying?"

Solomon kept his eyes trained on the pebbles scattered across the concrete. He had yet to look up at Nathan, hoping he'd go away. The moon was full tonight, and Solomon was standing in a beam of it. Nathan was hidden in the shadow of a building in this alley.

"I do have one question, though. It's not a major wound, but it is deadly. How do you expect to sustain your promise to Saya?" Solomon hadn't thought of that. He had told Saya that if she ever needed him, she should simply call his name and he'd be there. He wouldn't be able to keep up with that. "Or were you hoping Haji would do it for you each time?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter anyway." Solomon's voice was weaker than he would have liked. Nathan noticed it, though Solomon hoped he didn't. "I'm sure Haji can handle her just fine-"

"Yes, but I thought _you_ wanted to be there for her. Do you still?"

_Of course I do…_ That's what he wanted to say. Nathan could be so impossible sometimes. Solomon was almost afraid to show any emotions around Nathan because he noticed everything. Solomon felt much more comfortable staying behind his professional face than he did breaking down in front of someone like Nathan.

"It's a simple question…" Solomon glanced up to see Nathan standing in the shadow of the building. He looked scarier than usual standing in the shadows like that, though it wasn't his physical appearance that scared Solomon. Nathan really didn't _look_ scary wearing a purple, baggy, open shirt and pink jeans. It was more the knowledge that his voice could drop two octaves and he was stronger and faster than Solomon. It was the knowledge of what he could do and how observant he was that scared Solomon. It was everything that could be seen in Nathans eyes, as Solomon continued to avoid them.

"I…" Nathan was looking at him with his head tilted, waiting on a response. Something seemed slightly different in Nathans eyes - when Solomon finally decided to meet them- and he could not place exactly what it was. Solomon pushes himself back into the fence further, clamping his hand to his shoulder as the searing pain of the wound starts up again. _Why aren't I crystallizing yet?_

Before Solomon could react, Nathan was directly in front of him holding him up. Solomon's eyes were closed now, holding back the tears of pain that were starting to form in his eyes again. He could feel Nathans unbuttoning the top of his jacket, and then his shirt. Solomon opened his mouth to protest and question, but the feeling of fabric rubbing over the already stinging wound made it come out as a muffled cry more than anything else.

"Hold still, Solomon." Solomon could only feel the searing pain in his shoulder, followed by the warmth of Nathans hand pulling the fabric off his shoulder carefully and holding it out of the way. Then, he could feel the heat of Nathans breath on his neck. Nathan traced his tongue up Solomon's wound, cleaning most of the excess blood of to determine where exactly the wound was located. Solomon began trying to pull himself out of Nathans grasp to no avail. Nathan was stronger.

_What the heck is this gay bastard doing?… _Next thing Solomon could feel was Nathans hot lips on his shoulder, followed by the searing pain again, but almost in reverse this time. Nathan was sucking the blood out of Solomon. Nathan could taste both Solomon's and Saya's blood together, not quite mixed yet. It was still a heterozygous mixture, which is why Solomon hadn't crystallized yet. Nathan continued until he could taste that Solomon's blood was clean. His blood had a distinct sweet taste to it, and it was colder than normal for some reason. Odd.

Something in Nathan wanted to keep going, but Nathan was smarter than that. He pulled his head away from Solomon's neck, causing Solomon to shiver at the feeling of the cold night air on his now exposed neck. Nathan hadn't realized Solomon couldn't hold himself up until now, so he gently let Solomon down onto the ground, sitting on his knees in front of him. Solomon's mind was still trying to catch up with what Nathan had just done.

"You know," Nathan said, glancing down at Solomon's still unbuttoned outfit, "you should wear your shirt open more often." Nathan reached out, starting to re-button it. Solomon smacked his hand away out of pure spite, slow realization coming at the fact of what Nathan had just done. That Nathan was now going to die. "I said more often, not right now. It's cold out…"

There was silence from Solomon, not quite up to talking yet.

_I might have taken too much. _"I'm sorry Solomon. I think I waited too long. You should sit still for a bit and let your head settle…"

"Let-t m-m-my _head_ settle? Wh-wh-wh-wh…" Solomon had started shivering and shaking so badly that he couldn't speak straight. He looked paler than usual.

"Sh…" Nathan reaches out, continuing to button his shirt. Solomon doesn't stop him this time. "I told you it was cold…"

"Wh-wh-what d-did you do that for-r-r?"

"I wanted to help. Besides, I think it'd be a shame if-"

"I didn't need your help. I was-"

"You were what? Fine? Handling it? Don't lie to me Solomon, I saw what was happening." Solomon sits in silence for a little. "I wanted to help, just as you wanted to help Saya. She didn't ask for your help, nor did she need it."

"That's different-"

"What's different about it, Solomon?" Solomon doesn't answer him right away, keeping his eyes trained on the ground once again. "There is no difference-"

"Yes there is."

"Then what's the difference? I'd love to know so I don't make the mistake again."

"She wants to keep living! She has a reason to keep living! She-" Solomon's eyes began stinging with tears again as the effect of the slap he'd just received from Nathan was setting in. Solomon's head was now turned to the right, his left cheek turning a slight pink color.

"I don't want to hear you say that again." Nathan didn't even go easy on Solomon. He full out smacked him across the face.

"There was no reason for you to do that anyway. I'd rather myself die than you. Diva still wants you around…" Nathan can't help but smile a bit. Just a small, pained smile.

"Is that what you're worried about? Solomon… Saya's blood wont kill me." Solomon keeps his head turned away. "I promise you, Solomon, that it _is_ possible to live without a queen-"

"How would you know?…"

"Solomon, I-"

"There's nothing left for me, Nathan. I didn't want your help! I don't want to be-"

"Solomon, look at me." Solomon stops himself from talking on, but he doesn't look at Nathan. His eyes were watering again, but they were tears of anger this time. He refused to be 'sad' around Nathan. "Solomon?… _Please_ look at me." Solomon trains his eyes on the ground.

"Just go away…"

Nathan puts his hands on Solomon's face, turning his head so he could look Solomon in the eyes. "Solomon, I've been living without my queen for longer than Diva's been alive. It's possible…" Solomon meets Nathan's eyes for a second time, and he can see the hint of pain in them.

Solomon starts shaking his head in denial, casting his eyes down to Nathans torso. "You're Diva's chevalier… she's still alive."

"You know that's not true, Solomon. I came while Diva was in her most recent hibernation." Solomon still wasn't looking Nathan in the eyes, and Nathan felt the insane need to hug Solomon. He wasn't quite sure, however, if it was to comfort Solomon or his own need to be comforted. "My queen was Diva's mother, lady Aya." Nathan looks at Solomon, whose tears have stopped. He's calming down, and looks tired.

Nathan reaches up, rubbing his thumb under Solomon's eyes, wiping away all his tears. "Why me?…"

Nathan sits, confused for a bit before deciding to speak again. "Why you, what?"

"Why are you sitting here with me? I haven't done anything to you."

"Don't make it sound like such a punishment." There was that damned smile again, seeming to always find its way back. Nathan was, at this point, moving on from the subject of queens.

"You don't have to be sitting here, and it's not like I've done anything to make you particularly favor me. Why aren't you sitting at your mansion with James and Diva."

"Hm… that is rather tempting, but neither of them need me." Solomon's 'brother' cared for Solomon, who was used to looking out for himself. "Solomon, I go where people need me, and right now I feel you need me."

The two of them sat in silence, Solomon feeling his eyes getting heavy with sleep. He still didn't quite want to look Nathan in the eyes, though this time he wasn't quite sure why. His eyes were still trained on Nathans purple fabric-covered torso. _Why am I so tired… Chevalier don't get tired. They don't need maintenance. _"Is that why you serve Diva?…"

"Yes. I made myself move on, and Diva seemed as if she needed me."

"Why not Saya? Why not go back to Diva now that I'm fine…"

"Why do you ask so many questions, Solomon?" Nathan stood up, in the same moment pulling Solomon onto his feet and into a hug. Nathan didn't want to answer anything right now, so he stood in silence, holding Solomon up and hugging him. Solomon was shocked at the hug at first, but after a moment he relaxed. He would not put his arms around his older bro-… around Nathan. He would not put his arms around Nathan. His arms remained folded in front of his chest, being the only thing - besides clothing - left between himself and Nathan.

Nathan felt the relaxation and smiled, closing his eyes. Solomon didn't know he was smiling like he was, and Nathan didn't realize just how he was smiling for a while. Solomon stood in silence, slightly dozing off until he realized it and lifted his head, pulling away from Nathan a bit. Nathan blinks, snapping out of another world he'd been waltzing into. Solomon pulls away and Nathan feels the _warm_ night air brush against his chest. Solomon's body was cold enough that the night air was warm.

Solomon felt the reverse of that effect, though. As he pulled away from Nathan and his body heat, Solomon shivered and almost fell backwards, not quite strong enough to hold himself up. Nathan was there, though, catching him. "Perhaps you should lay down."

"I'm fi-" Before Solomon could continue, Nathan already had Solomon scooped up in his arms and was running off. Solomon's head rested on Nathans chest, Solomon lacking the strength to hold it up. His eyes were open and he could feel the heat of Nathans body. That, combined with the sound of Nathans beating heart had a very soporific effect on Solomon, his eyes feeling heavy even while they remained closed.

Solomon felt the warmth of being inside. He opened his eyes slightly, seeing Nathan pulling blankets over his cold body. The room was dark and Solomon didn't recognize where he was. Nathan smiled at him, but Solomon could see that slight hint of pain in his eyes again. He wanted to ask, but his head was spinning now.

"Here. You can lay here, I'm sorry I don't have a bed for you. I'll be here when you wake up." Solomon's eyes closed again, and Nathan smiled, brushing hair out of his face and feeling the cold on his forehead.

_I wonder if we have something else in common…_ Nathan watched Solomon sleep for a moment, considering. "Sleep tight, Solomon. Sweet dreams…"


	2. Lady Aya

Gee… wouldn't it be awkward if James or Amshel were to walk in on any of this? XD

***Chapter 2***

Lady Aya

Solomon's mind kept hazing over, since a Chevalier cannot fully sleep. A Chevalier should not be able to sleep at all, but Solomon kept finding himself unable to tell what was happening or how much time passed. He was unaware of his surroundings for most of the time as he lay there unmoving. He did remember some things happening, though.

He remembered that at one point, he felt something warm on his forehead. At another time, he felt more blankets being put on him. He would occasionally hear footsteps going through the building. The phone rang once, and he heard Nathan answer it. He was somewhere with Nathan.

That's right. He did remember being placed somewhere, and Nathan had apologized for the lack of a bed.

Solomon pushed his eyes open for the first time in a while. He was in a large room, laying on a couch with several blankets over him. There was also a fire in the fireplace on the other wall. Solomon had no idea where he was. He made himself sit up, an extreme dizziness overcoming him. Like hell he was laying back down, though.

He placed his legs over the edge of the couch, allowing his head to stop spinning for a bit before continuing to look around. He felt slightly colder outside of the blankets, though he hadn't been very warm under them to begin with. Glancing down, Solomon realized he no longer had his dress shirt and jacket on. His pants had been changed too. He was now wearing a black pair of baggy sweat pants with a pink stripe down the side. His shirt was a long sleeve shirt, not so big on him, but not tight. Sorta like a t-shirt. _What the heck… it's pink…_

He glanced around to get a view of the rest of the room. The carpet was white, and the walls were a nice teal color. Definitely seemed like a Nathan type of setting. The fireplace had a huge fire in it, and it was a brick fireplace. The room was well taken care of and nice and clean. No stains anywhere, no dust and no mess. It's reminded Solomon of Nathan's mansion that Diva was using. Nathan kept it clean.

Nathan walked in, stopping after seeing Solomon awake. "I'm sorry if the clothes aren't quite what you'd normally wear. Your shirt and jacket were cut and bloody. I've bleached them and they're being repaired. As for your pants, well… they'd become dirty and off color from sitting on the concrete of the alley. I've got them washing too. Either way," Nathan walks over, standing near the head of the couch. "A suit is not proper sleeping clothes. You'll feel better faster in these…"

"I need my other clothes back, Nathan."

"Why so fast? You look good in pink." That damned smile, _again_. "Anyway, You should lay back down."

"I'm not laying back down. I need to go-"

"Go where?…" Solomon couldn't answer, since he didn't know exactly where he would go. He just wasn't comfortable with the idea of staying anywhere alone with Nathan. It was an extremely unnerving feeling. "Solomon, perhaps you should lay down for a bit. You-"

Nathan stopped talking as Solomon was shaking his head. _Stubborn Chevalier. _Nathan sighed as Solomon stood up to leave.

"You wont get very far…" There was a know-it-all tone in his voice, mixed with slight annoyance. Solomon stood just fine, but as soon as he started to run towards the door, he had no strength again and fell. Nathan, being the fastest, caught him and kept his head from hitting the ground.

"You should at least wait till you're _capable_ of leaving." He could feel Solomon's temperature was extremely low. A human would be long dead, but Chevalier didn't die so easily. Solomon would not die, Nathan did not fear that. Solomon said nothing, refusing to admit defeat. Nathan picked Solomon up, bringing him back over to the couch and laying him back down. Solomon immediately sat up.

"Solomon? Have I upset you? You seem terribly mad at me…" Solomon wouldn't look at Nathan, and it scared Nathan. He found himself _actually_ hoping Solomon wasn't mad. He was almost hoping for Solomon's approval, though he knew he would continue to help regardless. Solomon wasn't necessarily mad at Nathan, though, he just didn't like being kept there.

Solomon sighed after a second, realizing Nathan wasn't leaving. "No. You haven't…"

"Good. I'd hate to have you mad at me. Now, there are some things we should discuss."

Solomon blinked, more than slightly puzzled. "Like what?"

"Like you, Solomon. You're sick."

"Chevalier don't get sick-"

"Not _usually_,but you're most definitely sick."

"No I'm not. It's not possible. Amshel has already proven that Chevalier don't get sick and don't need maintenance."

"Amshel proved it, making it true? So tell me, what's wrong with you then?" Solomon was silent. "Well?…"

"I don't know."

"See? All your science and math can't explain it yet. There's not exactly a large race of Chevalier to test to see if they can get sick. Amshel carried out his tests on us to figure stuff out, but in reality, it's not a very reliable test. You're saying this is impossible and you're experiencing it first hand. It's like saying… … you're not wearing a pink shirt. You very clearly are." Smiling again. Solomon couldn't figure out just why Nathans smile was bothering him so much.

He sighed, giving up the fight. "You know, you're very persistent."

"If I wasn't, you'd never stay. And right now, you could use the rest." _And the help… _Telling that to Solomon would make him more resistant, so Nathan kept his mouth shut.

When Solomon didn't lay back down, Nathan sighed. "Are you hungry? I'll go make you some soup." He left before Solomon could argue the point. Solomon blinked, considering this. He did feel slightly hungry, just as he was feeling tired again. _This is so weird_.

Nathan went into the kitchen, preparing Solomon some soup. It was a funny thing, how drawn he felt to protecting Solomon. He glanced back out to Solomon, who is now looking around his living room. Nathan can't help but notice a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. _He's so innocent… Like a child, experiencing something new… Why do I want so much for him? So much to help him? He's right, though he doesn't realize it. I promised Lady Aya…_ The smile disappears from his face, thinking about Lady Aya. He was gay, yes, but he still felt the connection to his Queen that all Chevalier felt. He also felt the ping of regret and sadness at the thought of her death.

"Damn it!" Nathan pulled his hand off the handle of the pot as tomato soup began boiling over.

"Are you alright in there?…" Solomon, calling from the other room.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute." _Terrific_. _Attention span of a kitten. But at least it's a kitten. They're cute and cuddly!_ Nathan blinked at that last thought. _Why don't I own a cat…_ Well, obviously he was never at this mansion so the cat would probably die. Plus, being a blood drinking Chevalier did have a few downsides. Animals with their natural instincts ran away from him, so he couldn't own a pet. Shame.

He finished the soup, pouring some in a bowl for Solomon. He walked back out into the living room where Solomon was still seated on the couch, a blanket laying lightly across his lap. _He really does look good in pink… Damn…_

"Here you go. Nice and hot." Nathan knew it was hot. He didn't quite think of the repercussions of the temperature, though.

"Thanks." Solomon took the soup and as soon as Nathans hands were off it, Solomon dropped it to the floor as searing pain passed through his hands. He screamed slightly, pulling his hands into his chest.

"Gosh, what happened?" Nathan moved out of the way to avoid having hot soup all over his nice pink pants, but sighed at the sight of the red soup spilled all over his nice carpet.

Glancing up, he saw Solomon holding his hands at his chest. "Here, let me see." He took Solomon's hands, pulling them away from his chest and flipping them palm up. They were already healing, but they were badly burned. Nathans hands holding Solomon's wrists could feel that Solomon's temperature had dropped again. It was like ice. _I guess we don't have that in common…_

"Gee… I'm sorry about the carpet-"

"It's fine. A carpet can be bleached easy enough. It's just a carpet, and it's replaceable." Nathan sat down on the couch next to Solomon. "Looks like we'll have to find you something else to drink." He glances at Solomon. "Here. You can drink some of my blood."

"Not happening. I'm fine, Nathan. Really."

"No, really. It will help Solomon. Besides that, it's not too terribly hot and may help to bring your body temperature back up to normal." Solomon didn't quite understand the helping bit, but he sighed. It's not like it could hurt, and he _was_ hungry.

Solomon reached his hands up, putting his left hand at the base of Nathans neck and using his right hand to gently pull the collar of Nathans already open shirt out of the way. He brought his head up to Nathans neck, slightly pulling Nathans now exposed neck down to him. Nathan simply lifted his head, trying to make this easier on Solomon.

Solomon didn't quite understand why Nathan would go through all this trouble, but it was nice. He sighed, his cold breath almost tickling Nathans neck. Nathans eyes were closed and all he could feel was Solomon's cold hands on his skin, so his breath made him slightly shudder.

"Thank you, Nathan." Before Nathan could give a reply, Solomon sank his now elongated fangs into the base of Nathans neck and began drinking.

Nathan had opened his mouth to reply to Solomon's thank you, but closed it as he felt Solomon's fangs penetrate his neck. He hissed slightly at the burning sensation, but Solomon's cold lips around the wound had an almost numbing effect, making it easier.

Once Solomon was a few seconds into it, Nathan had to squeeze his eyes shut and fight back a moan. He had no idea why, but he was almost enjoying this. Enjoying helping Solomon and, as he thought about it, enjoying the idea of this being Solomon. When he had let Diva drink of him, Diva nearly drained him and she didn't quite care. To Diva, her Chevalier were disposable. Nathan didn't think Solomon thought him to be disposable. He didn't think, but he had no way of knowing for sure.

After a mere three pints, no where near enough to make a Chevalier pass out, Solomon stopped himself. He pulled his fangs out of Nathans neck and licked the spot just to clean up the excess blood as Nathans neck was already healing.

Nathan felt Solomon pull back and almost felt disappointed. He shivered, though, as the feeling of the warm air was interrupted by Solomon's tongue. He felt Solomon sit back on the couch, pulling his hands off of Nathan, and he almost felt upset. The warmth pulled him out of a sort of haze he'd waltzed into.

Nathan opened his eyes, reaching up and pulling his shirt collar back up over his shoulder.

"Thank you." Solomon reached up, not looking at Nathan, and wiped his mouth with the palm of his hand.

_I never pictured Solomon, Mr. big CEO as a mouth wiper unless he had a napkin. Hm…_ Nathan stands up off the couch, nodding to Solomon. He then begins to clean up the spilled soup on the floor. There was already a stain, but Nathan could wait to clean it up until after Solomon fell back asleep. He already looked tired anyway, so it wouldn't be sitting too long.

"Did Aya have blue eyes, or red?…" Solomon's question startled Nathan. He stood up off the ground, walking over to the fireplace to put another log on the fire.

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I'm just curious." Solomon wasn't looking at Nathan. He was looking at the ground where the stain from the soup was and he was now laying down across the couch with the blankets pulled over him. He wasn't shivering right now since Nathans blood had warmed him up slightly.

"She had blue eyes, just like Diva."

"Is that why you chose Diva?"

Nathan stood up from the fireplace, silent for a bit. He then glanced over at Solomon, who was looking at the ground. "Yes."

Solomon was silent for a bit, keeping his eyes trained to his spot. Nathan stood in silence, not prompting any more questions, but wondering what was going through Solomon's head. He felt he could read James like a book at times, but Solomon always had a composed face on unless he had been trying to impress Diva. He wasn't so easy to read.

"Did she act like Diva?" Nathan was silent as he walked over, sitting on the ground near Solomon's head, not on the stain.

"No, not really. They were quite different, actually."

"How so?… Who was her twin? Did she act at all like Saya?"

"You're so curious, aren't you?" Nathan sighed, not looking back at Solomon. "Lady Aya was… She was the twin of Miss Naomi. They didn't fight like Saya and Diva do, though. They got along rather well for a while.

"When they were growing up, I was a young servant in their house, just a little older than them. They were raised by a set of foster parents who had found them, and I was not permitted to see them. I did, though. I talked to them often, because they wished it. They thought I was amusing, you see, so they would constantly have me come talk to them and help them and give them advice.

"Lady Aya was the older of the two and she grew rather fond of me. She found me… _intriguing, _I suppose. I hadn't realized what had been happening with them, but I was slowly catching on to the fact that they weren't aging." Nathan sat in silence for a short time, staring down. Solomon pulled the blankets up closer around his neck, looking at Nathan. Nathan had a small pained look in his eyes and Solomon almost regretted asking anything. Nathan continued, though.

"She missed her meal one day and because she had grown so used to a regular eating schedule, she asked me for a bit of my blood." Nathans eyes were closed as he had his head leaning back. He didn't even realize that his head was leaning on Solomon's blanket covered Stomach, since the blankets felt like the couch. "I had no idea what she was talking about, and I became very scared. I was just a servant, though, and she helped herself. I became her Chevalier that day, and Miss Naomi became very jealous.

"Miss Naomi left to make her own Chevalier and came home three days later with one. Needless to say, their 'father' wasn't very pleased with me. There wasn't much I could do, though. Lady Aya defended me against her fathers harsh words, and he eventually left me be. He had more and more problems with me as I would only obey Lady Aya and would no longer work for him.

"He told Lady Aya and myself that we could no longer stay in the house. I barely had any money working for no wage at the mansion, so I used what I could find to get Lady Aya a place to stay. I stayed with her through a couple hibernations and eventually, Miss Naomi and her Chevalier found us and brought us the news that their father had passed away.

"Lady Aya was devastated, as was I." Solomon could feel how upset Nathan was becoming and longed to reach out and touch him, to try and comfort him. He felt the odd sensation that there was something he could say or do to ease Nathans pain when, in reality, the past was the past and he could just listen or tell Nathan to stop. He let Nathan keep his head on his stomach. "She cried, and I felt there was nothing I could do for her. Miss Naomi and her Chevalier, Shin, stayed with us a while. Shin and Lady Aya grew close and eventually, Lady Aya became pregnant.

"I was happy for her, but Miss Naomi was both mad and devastated. She would no longer accept Shin as her Chevalier and he came back to us, requesting death." Nathan paused, his eyebrows scrunched up slightly. His eyes were still closed and he looked as if he were trying to remember what happened, though he could remember clearly. "I gave him his request on behalf of Lady Aya.

"Miss Naomi became enraged that we would kill her Chevalier, even though she had disowned him. She came to kill Lady Aya. They both knew their blood was poisonous to each other, and Lady Aya commanded me to stand aside and let her fight. She wanted a fair fight, and would not consider her children. I obliged, giving her what she wished as well."

Solomon could see how much this was hurting Nathan, but he didn't want to tell him to stop. He was interested in the story, and it was very sad. It was explaining a lot about Nathan, though. Why he was so persistent to help Solomon, why he knew it was possible to live without a Queen, why he didn't necessarily give people what they wished but more what they needed, and most of Nathan's past. He hadn't told any of this to any of Diva's Chevalier yet. Solomon wasn't sure if he should feel privileged or slightly sad. He ended up feeling somewhere in the middle.

"The two of them fought, and Miss Naomi won." Solomon felt his heart and stomach drop. Solomon was separated from his Queen, but by her choice -and partially his own. At least he hadn't watched her die when there was something he could have done.

"In a fit of rage, I took my Queen's blood and killed Miss Naomi. I sat amongst the two bodies, and I cried. I was absolutely devastated, and it wasn't until days later that I realized I had no way of dying. There was no way for me to end anything.

"I became very ill and tired, my temperature spiking extremely high. It took me a while to manage to get better, but I managed. I was on my own, so I was sleeping off and on for nearly a year." Solomon felt his stomach drop at the thought of laying around doing nothing but sulking and feeling sick for a full year.

"When I was back on my feet, I realized I had to put Lady Aya's body somewhere where the next generation of Queens could be born safely."

"So you brought them to the Zoo…"

Nathan opens his eyes, turning his head to look at Solomon, a slight smile on his face. Solomon can still see all the pain in Nathans eyes. "Yes, I did. The first Joel was the son of Lady Aya's and Miss Naomi's father, so I thought it would be a good idea. I brought them there, and watched over them until they were born. I stayed long enough to insure their safety and then left."

Solomon stared into Nathans eyes for a bit before directing them back to the ground. Nathan continued to look at Solomon's face, though. "So, how did you wind up back with Diva?…"

Nathan takes his eyes off Solomon's face, looking over at the fireplace and resting his head back on Solomon's stomach, only slightly realizing it's Solomon's stomach this time. "I actually didn't for the longest time. As you know, I didn't arrive until her most recent hibernation. I had gone back to the Zoo a little after it burned down, and was devastated at the thought that placing the two there might have ended up killing them. I saw Saya and Haji, though, and realized that if they weren't dead, Diva wouldn't be dead either.

"I actually did contemplate staying with Saya, but she already had a Chevalier, so I left to go find Diva who possessed her mothers eyes. I was following her around the world for a while since Amshel couldn't seem to settle down. It wasn't until her most recent hibernation that he stayed put long enough for me to show up."

The two Chevalier sat in silence for a bit, Solomon just thinking about what Nathan had just told him and Nathan thinking about… Solomon surprisingly.

Nathan stood up after a moment and turned around glancing at Solomon. "Alright. I've answered questions, you should get some sleep."

"You said you got sick… does that mean-"

"I said get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up and it's not like we wont have plenty of time to talk then." He smiles at Solomon, feeling surprisingly good about having told someone about his past. Almost like he wasn't the only person who experienced it now, and like he wasn't the only person expected to carry those memories through time. But, with that joy did come the slow sting of messing with an old wound. That'd been the reason he hadn't told anyone to start with. He didn't need all the questions and pity. He would just wait for the next generation of Queens and serve them.

_But Solomon seems different…_ Nathan sighed as Solomon closes his eyes, nodding. "Good night, Solomon."

"Night…" Solomon was already half asleep. _I wish I could tell him everything… but he might try and change things…_


	3. I can only hope

***Chapter 3***

I can only hope

Solomon went back into a haze and once again, he could not properly perceive the passage of time. Nathan would walk around the mansion a lot and he could hear the fire crackling constantly. He felt Nathans hand on his face once, probably taking a temperature. There were more blankets on him at this point but they no longer seemed to be helping as much.

Solomon heard the door open and close, and then Nathan spoke.

"Hello, James. Haven't you ever heard of knocking? It's part of a not-so-new trend called 'being polite'" Nathan with his usual teasing tone.

"Yes, well Diva is becoming rather impatient."

"Oh, my poor Diva. Does she need me?"

"She wishes to know about the progress for her performance. Amshel also wishes to speak to you, Nathan."

"Hm… is that so? Well, I've actually been working on papers for her performance here. You can pass the word on that I'm terribly sorry and will be back again very soon." Solomon opened his eyes slightly, glancing through the cracked door on the other side of the room that lead into the kitchen. He could see Nathans back - knowing it's Nathans because it's purple fabric.

"Well, I'm sure Diva will want to see what you've come up with."

"Absolutely James! Wonderful idea. It's right upstairs in my bedroom. If you follow me I'll-"

"Absolutely not. I am not going anywhere near a bedroom with you."

"Fine, your loss. I'll be by within a couple days, though. I'll talk to all of you then, okay? Can you pass that message on for me?"

"Fine." There were more footsteps and Nathan disappeared from Solomon's limited sight through the slightly open door. He watched the shadows beneath the door until one left. Then Nathan walked in, placing yet another log on the fire.

"Good morning, Solomon. Sleep well?" Solomon sat in silence, slightly taken aback by the question. He still wasn't quite accustomed to being able to sleep.

"Um… sure."

"That's not a very confident answer. Did you have any interesting dreams?" Nathan had always talked about dreams to Solomon, Amshel, and James, but the three of them always wrote it off as Nathan pretending to dream or that he was talking about day dreaming. He had a weird fascination with dreams on occasion.

"No."

"Don't say it like that. You make it sound like it's impossible." Solomon opened his mouth to reply, but Nathan cut him off, glancing back over at him. "And if you're going to tell me it is, you obviously haven't tried hard enough. Okay?"

Solomon sat in silence for a short while before responding. "You know, there _are_ certain limits."

"I'm fully aware. That's not one of them."

"You're painfully optimistic."

"You're not exactly pessimistic." That wasn't much of a come back. Nathan glanced over at Solomon, a considerate look on his face. Considering _what_ was the real question. "Just a little unsure. That's all." Solomon's eyes wandered to the kitchen door.

"So you have to go back to Paris soon?" Nathan looked over from Solomon's face, following his line of sight to the kitchen door.

"Yes, but I have time. Are you hungry?" Nathan walked over, placing a hand on Solomon's forehead. _Still cold. _

"No. By the way, you still haven't told me where we are." Solomon could gather that they were in another one of Nathans many mansions. He never seemed to run out of houses. Guess it was a perk to being really old.

Nathan looked on Solomon with king, caring eyes. "You're in my mansion. You should get some sleep, you still look tired. It's going to take a little while for you to be back on your feet."

Solomon didn't say anything. The idea of being stuck in a bed didn't appeal to him, but he agreed and let Nathan pull the blankets over him. "I'm going to go to Diva's, since she's already sent James to talk to me."

"I guess while I'm asleep would be a good time to do it…"

"Exactly. Now you're catching on." Nathan shot one of his infamous smiles that seemed to successfully irritate everyone. Solomon just closed his eyes, obviously done talking. "Sweet dreams, Solomon." Nathan ran off before Solomon could reply, heading for Paris.

Solomon opened one eye after noticing the silence. Nathan was gone. Solomon sighed, looking into the crackling fire. He could feel the drowsiness, but found that his mind kept wandering over to Nathan and what might be going on with him. Also, how nice it was that Nathan was doing all this for him.

As he stared into the fire, he couldn't help but think about lady Aya. Usually, a Chevalier inherited some sort of trait from their queen. For instance, Solomon inherited Diva's stubbornness and want for a family- thus why he'd gone after Saya. Nathans distinct traits were his strength and speed. Those were most likely what he inherited from Aya, which made Solomon wonder how she lost to her sister. If she had indeed possessed those traits, why was it not she that won in the fight between them?

Nathan arrived in Paris not too much later, quickly arriving at his mansion where Diva had been staying. Walking in, he could hear Diva singing in the garden. _It's beautiful._

Nathan walked back, seeing Diva, James, and Amshel. Amshel looked up, the first to 'greet' Nathan. Then Diva, who glanced over and smiled at him. "Nathan. There you are. Where have you been?…."

James looks up, meeting Nathans eyes until Nathan directs them to Diva. "I've been in another one of my mansions, working on plans for your performance. It _is_ in four days, you know."

"Yes, I realize. Are they coming along well?"

"Yes, actually. I'm sure it will be a smashing success."

"Terrific." Diva smiled, continuing to sing to her children. They were still in their cocoons and Diva absolutely adored them. After a little bit, though, she picked them up and carried them inside. Amshel smirked slightly, watching her.

"You've been at your other house for a while, Nathan. Over a month."

"Yes, I realize. I've been rather busy."

James stood up out of his seat in the garden to follow Diva inside, but stopped right before the door. "Do you figure Saya will be a problem at the show?"

"Absolutely. We need to handle her before then if possible, and if not take the necessary precautions to ensure that she will not interrupt Diva." Amshel spoke so assuredly of himself.

"Four days is a rather short time, Amshel. We might as well focus on some precautions." Nathan suggested it with a glance towards Amshel. James laughed.

"What? You don't think we could handle her in four days?"

"Well…" Nathans eyes glanced over to James, who had failed fighting against Saya last time. But, Solomon had interfered which had made things slightly unfair. "I just wouldn't want us to get too far ahead of ourselves. You never know when there will be some unaccounted for detail."

James said nothing, glancing at Nathan. If Nathan had seen the battle and knew what had happened, then that might have been why James had been unable to find Solomon's body. He'd seen the wound from Saya's sword in Solomon's arm, but James had been unable to locate his body after he left. Nathan might have moved it.

Amshel looked from Nathan to James. "Am I missing something?"

"Nothing at all, Amshel."

"Nathan is referring to a failed attempt on my part at killing Saya earlier. Solomon had defended her." Amshel left his eyes on James.

"She has Solomon with her?"

"No, actually. I believe Nathan has taken Solomon somewhere, since I was unable to find him." Amshel looked over to Nathan.

"Yes, yes. I have Solomon staying at my other house. I've been taking care of him and keeping him out of Diva's way." James received a very confused look on his face as Amshel looked at Nathan.

"You've been taking care of him? Why would you bother, you should have let Saya kill him."

"Saya would not kill him with him protecting her. Besides, if I have him staying at my house, he will be of no bother to you." Diva walked back outside, looking at James.

"James, I want to go sing at the theater. Will you take me?"

"Of course, Diva. Right away." James glanced at his two brothers before leaving, still wondering what Nathan had done that would have possible kept Solomon alive. Or, perhaps he had Solomon's dead body at his house. That would be more than slightly creepy, even for Nathan.

James walked out with Diva and left and Amshel looked at Nathan. "Make sure you keep Solomon at your house if you're not going to kill him."

Nathan directed his attention away from the door and at Amshel. "_Don't tell me what to do._" Nathans voice dropped two octaves, as it did occasionally. Amshel did not react to it, but he did not say anything after that. "I promise, even if Solomon were to get to the performance, he would not affect the outcome of whatever takes place."

Amshel said nothing, just watching Nathan as he walked over to the door. "Besides, it's not as if you'd be able to kill him if he were to show back up." He smiled, glancing at Amshel, who again said nothing. After a moment of silence, however, Amshel nodded, sipping from his wine.

"I'll see you at the performance, Amshel."

"And you wont bring Solomon? I'll send James to make sure he stays put."

"He wouldn't be going anywhere anyhow, but if it makes you feel better than send James to baby sit. It might be better for Solomon anyhow." Amshel seemed confused for a moment, but sighed after a second.

"Good-bye, Nathan."

Nathan waved, seemingly disappearing as he ran out.

When Nathan arrived back in his other mansion, Solomon was already asleep on the couch he'd been using. _I should really get him a bed…_

Nathan sighed, going over and pulling the blankets up over him more. "I really don't know what I'm going to do with you, Solomon…" He glanced over to the television on the wall. "You're going to want to watch Diva's performance, aren't you? I only hope James can handle it with you."

Nathan walked over, putting another log on the fire as it sent sparks up into the air. "I'm sorry, Lady Aya. It's not so simple a thing that I could simply tell them." Nathan walked upstairs, leaving Solomon on the couch.


	4. The performance

***Chapter 4***

The Performance

Solomon woke up with the blankets pulled up to his chin again. They were no longer helping since Solomon wasn't putting off any body heat, but it was a nice thought. The constant fire was actually the nicest thing, though, for Solomon. He sighed, sitting up and walking over to the fire and sitting in front of it. It was wonderfully warm, but he could only sit so close to it before it was a bit uncomfortable.

Nathan walked in after about ten minutes. "Oh, you're up. You should really be keeping the blankets on."

"They're not helping." Nathan walked over, placing his hand on Solomon's forehead. Solomon flinched back from it slightly.

"I see. Then you're more than welcome to sit by the fire." Nathan walked over, placing another log on the fire. "Do you at least want to lay back down?"

"I'm not tired either."

"I didn't think you would be. You've been asleep for just about 4 days." Solomon blinked, glancing over at Nathan.

"Really?" Solomon was more than a bit skeptical.

"Really and truly. Why would I lie about that? Such a silly thing to lie about."

"What's today's date?" Nathan sighed, looking over at Solomon. They both knew what Solomon was referring to.

"It is the day Diva's performance is taking place, and I'm going to need to leave in a few minutes to get there and help set up for it." Solomon nodded, glancing over at the T.V.

"Will you leave it on for me?"

"Of course, if you wish to watch." Solomon nodded, not giving a second thought to Nathans odd question. "And James will be here shortly. Amshel does not need him at the performance, so he is sending him here." Solomon frowned slightly, glancing back down to the fire. Nathan rolled his eyes, fully understanding Solomon's feelings towards James.

"He's going to be fine. He's only being sent here because Diva has no need for him at the performance. She's going to sing beautifully and Amshel thinks James can come here and watch."

"If that's what brother Amshel wishes, then it is fine." Nathan sighed, hearing those words come out of Solomon's mouth. 'if that's what brother Amshel wishes'. Solomon didn't have to act like he served them anymore, and Nathan had been trying to help break him of the habit. It's a harder habit to kill, though, and Nathan knew it.

Nathan stood up, walking over and sitting next to Solomon on the white carpet. Solomon felt the warmth coming off of Nathan and it was pleasant, so Solomon leaned his head on Nathans shoulder. Nathan simply put an arm around Solomon's shoulders to give him a little more warmth.

"Do you figure Saya will show up?" Nathan shrugged slightly.

"I'm not exactly psychic, Solomon. I imagine she might, but I can't say for sure." Nathan knew Solomon wouldn't be sure who he would wish to win, but Solomon was going to be devastated either way. Nathan simply couldn't tell Solomon who would win. For all Nathan knew, Saya might not show up.

"You said when you were sick, your temperature went up. Why has mine disappeared?"

Nathan looked down at Solomon, whose eyes were trained on the fire. _His face is so beautiful in the light of the fire. It looks kissed by an angel…_ Nathan smiled, almost forgetting Solomon's question.

"I don't know. You're just different from me, I guess. Either way, I'd be thankful. A high temperature can only have so much done to it to bring it done. A cold temperature can be helped easier." Solomon shrugged slightly.

"I guess it depends on the situation."

"Doesn't everything depend on the situation. A situation can make or break anything."

Solomon gave a small, fake smirk. Nathan saw through it, though he remained silent. "I suppose it could." Nathan looked up to the fire Solomon was staring at. He had an urge to pull Solomon into a gigantic hug, but knew better. He'd just let Solomon continue leaning on him until he could stand on his own.

The two of them sat in silence for about half an hour, staring at the fire. Solomon wasn't falling asleep and Nathan was just enjoying Solomon's presence. Something was different about Solomon. Nathan could tease James all he wanted, and he could flirt with anyone he wanted, there was something different about Solomon. Something more real. Something deeper. Something Nathan wanted to last, and it was making Nathan a little teary. He'd wanted the best for Lady Aya, and she'd died. Nathan knew Solomon wouldn't stay with him forever, and he couldn't bear the thought of being left again.

Nathan snapped out of his trance, though, as James walked in. Nathan stood up, leaving Solomon on the floor. "Good afternoon, James!" James nodded, glancing down at Solomon. He still had no idea how Solomon was still alive. Poor James.

Nathan walked over, turning the T.V. to the proper channel. "She'll be on in about an hour." Nathan smiled at James who simply sat down on the couch. "You can help yourself to any of the food in the kitchen, James. And, if you're really feeling up to it, you can go try on some of my clothes in the spare time. I know you love to-"

"Get out of here." James was never in the mood to be teased. Nathan made a pouty face. After James refused to acknowledge him, Nathan sighed.

"Geez. You military men can be so uptight." Nathan waved to them both and ran out the door, going to Diva's performance. When he arrived at the theater, Diva was in her dressing room already. She was looking at the outfit that had been picked out for her. There were going to be some important people there and Amshel was really counting on her to do this well, not that he had any doubt.

Even with all this, though, Diva was not afraid. No, she was excited. She was going to be singing to her children tonight and Nathan was going to be there with them. Her favorite Chevalier with her children. It was all the family she really needed.

She glanced up at Nathans approach. "Nathan. There you are."

"Yes. I told you I'd be here. My, you're going to look lovely in that dress."

"Yes, I believe I will." She smiled, her blue eyes glowing almost. Nathan glanced over at her children, a slight pang in his heart. He smiled through it, though. "I think they'll be as lovely. I can't wait." Nathan looked up to see Diva had noticed him glancing at her children. Her words pained his heart even further, though it did not show through. She only saw his smile. Nothing else.

"I fully believe they will. Now, lets get you into this _lovely_ dress."

* * *

After Nathan left, James and Solomon sat in silence. James didn't particularly wish to speak to Solomon, and Solomon didn't mind the silence. He simply remained on the floor near the fire. James didn't even comment on the fact that he had Solomon wearing some of his own clothes.

After about forty-five minutes of silence, James stood up to turn on the T.V. They could at least watch the news _about_ the performance before the performance, since it was creating quite a large buzz. The channel the performance was going to be on was actually airing a news cast right now about the upcoming performance. That was easy.

Solomon glanced up at the T.V. and at James, who was adjusting the volume. Nathan could be a little eccentric at times, considering James was looking for the remote to adjust the volume. _Plasma screen T.V. Nice, Nathan._ Solomon looked over, standing up and walking over to a table near the couch. He opened the drawer, pulling the remote out and offering it to James. James took it and adjusted the volume, remaining silent.

"You're welcome." Solomon took his seat near the fire again. James glanced over at him after he finished and then sat back down on the couch. It wasn't quite an awkward silence, but it was close.

Solomon sighed, taking another attempt to start a conversation. "Did brother Amshel contact the appropriate people and get them in attendance?"

James didn't approve of Solomon's using the term 'brother', but he didn't comment on the matter. "Yes he has. They are all supposed to be there." Solomon nodded, watching the lady on the T.V. talk while standing outside the theater. Such a commotion over this 'voice sent by the angels'.

It took James a while before he decided to continue a conversation with Solomon. "Have you been here the entire time?…"

"Yes, though I don't recall much of my time." James took his eyes off the screen, glancing over to Solomon. Solomon's eyes were still on the screen. "Not much has happened here anyway. How are Diva's children?"

James placed his eyes back on the screen, leaning back on the couch. "They're fine." _No thanks to you_. James didn't say it. That was far too mean for his tastes. James was selectively mean, and he knew enough to not pick fights that shouldn't be fought anyhow. "They're with Diva at her performance."

"I figured they would be. She enjoys singing to them."

James nodded, and the two of them sat in silence again until the show started. Neither of them dared interrupt Diva's singing once the show started, so the silence lasted to the end.

* * *

Diva put on her costume and Nathan began fixing her hair for her, then applying make-up. Amshel walked in a little after to check on her. "Diva, your show is starting in ten minutes. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready, Amshel. Has Saya showed up yet?"

"Not yet, but I assure you she will not interrupt you." He bent over and kissed Diva's hand. Diva smiled, looking over to Nathan.

"Nathan? Will you take my children out with you?"

"Of course, Diva. I would be honored to be with them while you sing." Diva smiled, walking out. Nathan glanced at Amshel, who was following Diva. "How do you plan on stopping Saya if she does show up without interrupting Diva's performance?"

"I have it well taken care of, Nathan." Amshel followed Diva out to get her on stage and Nathan looked at her children inside their carrier.

"Your mother's going to sing to you two. I hope you're listening." He picked them up, going out to his seat in the theater.

*** The performance scene plays out the same as it did in the series***

Once the fight was over, Nathan remained laying on the stage amongst the collapsing building. He waited until Saya and Kai were gone and until he had made sure for certain that they took Diva's children with. He heard Haji handle Amshel earlier, and he was now crushed. He'd be fine, though. Nathan would not worry about him.

Nathan stood up off the stage, Saya's blood being ineffective against him once again. He glanced over at the spot where Haji and Amshel were now laying, Amshel dead and Haji recovering. He shook his head. "You should have dropped it, Amshel. You should have dropped it."

He glances over as he watches more of the theater fall and he can hear airplanes coming. _This'll be painful and take a while to recover from if I stick around any longer._ He glances down at Diva's crumbled stone figure on the ground. "I'm so sorry. But your children are safe, Diva. I promise they will remain that way."

He runs off to return to his mansion where he left Solomon and James hours earlier.

* * *

James and Solomon both sat in silence during the performance. When Saya showed up, the cameras were still running. They were no longer being managed by the mortals who were fleeing the kyropterin, but they were still running and aimed at the stage. James and Solomon had a perfect seat to witness the fight, and Nathan after the fight. Nathan was so calm about it, so composed.

James was not so composed, however. He was furious. He was devastated. He was flabbergasted. He was so much more all at the same time as this happened. He couldn't speak, he was so confused and mad and upset. He was alone, now, with Diva dying. Solomon sat in silence, not saying anything. _He knew…_

"He knew! That bastard knew and he didn't tell her!" James was yelling at this point as the cameras turned off. A kyropterin got them a couple minutes after Nathan informed Saya why only Diva was dying. Diva had just turned to stone, actually, and Saya had just 'killed' Nathan. "That bastard! I'm not even going to get a chance to make him pay…"

Solomon couldn't speak. He was staring back at the fire, his mind racing but at the same time, his mind was completely calm. It didn't take too long until Nathan came back, shocking James. He walked in, clothing stained slightly from the blood.

"What are you doing here? I saw-"

"Saya's blood doesn't affect me, James. I'm not Diva's Chevalier." James knew that. James began yelling at Nathan, but he stopped after a mere couple of sentences when Nathan was not fighting back. James ran out the door, leaving Solomon's and Nathan's presence.

Nathan glanced over at Solomon, who was staring at the fire. Nathan had been half expecting Solomon to be upset at the fact that Nathan hadn't helped when he possessed the knowledge of Diva's blood. Solomon wasn't, though. He continued to stare at the fire. He spoke after a few minutes.

"Is that how Aya died?" Nathan blinked, staring at Solomon. He gave a small nod, going over and sitting down next to Solomon and pulling Solomon into a hug. He could see tears starting in Solomon's eyes. It just took a bit to sink in. Nathan hadn't realized how smart Solomon was and hadn't realized that Solomon would be able to put that much together.

Solomon began crying for the first time around Nathan and Nathan was hugging him as tight as he could, trying to tell Solomon he was there for him without actually saying anything. Solomon's face was buried in Nathans shoulder and his arms were pulled in between the two Chevaliers' chests. Nathan just sat there with his arms around Solomon, hugging him while he cried.

It took Solomon nearly an hour to calm down, and at no point did he get mad at Nathan. This fact actually shocked Nathan, since he was expecting Solomon to try hitting him or yelling at him.

Solomon calmed himself down and was only sniffling. "She hated me so much… I tried _killing _her… why does it hurt _so_ much, Nathan?…"

Nathan just squeezed Solomon a little tighter. "It's _okay _to miss her, Solomon."

After a while, Solomon ended up crying himself to sleep in Nathans arms. After about four hours, Nathan glances down at Solomon's sleeping body. "I wish you the sweetest dreams, Solomon." He kisses Solomon on the head lightly. "You're going to need them."

He brought Solomon over to the couch, laying him down and pulling the blankets up over him. He takes the cuff of his sleeve and wipes Solomon's cheeks gently.


	5. Hello & Goodbye

***Chapter 5***

Hello & Good-bye

Solomon had been doing a lot of sleeping over the past 4 months, and Nathan was slightly worried for him. He did rather enjoy the time Solomon spent asleep, though, because Solomon had developed a habit of sleeping in Nathans arms. His temperature was returning to normal after the huge fall it did following Diva's death. Solomon was doing much better now, and had been spending a lot of time with Nathan. Nathan didn't mind the time spent with him, but Solomon was asking a lot of questions about Lady Aya and other stuff that was getting to Nathan a little.

Not only that, but when Solomon was asleep, it gave Nathan a chance to think a bit. With Solomon asleep, Nathan could properly assess his progress to being better, and he was questioning his previous thoughts on Solomon's departure. He had figured Solomon would leave as soon as possible, but Solomon didn't seem like he wanted to leave. He was growing attached to Nathan.

Nathan would have loved to have a relationship with Solomon, he came to terms with this idea about three months ago, but it was the degree of Solomon's attachment that worried Nathan. He didn't want Solomon staying because he was using Nathan as a replacement for Diva. That's what the problem was. He feared Solomon was becoming too attached, and it wouldn't be healthy for Solomon.

The problem then lied in, how was he going to help break that attachment. He didn't want to hurt Solomon again. Nathan almost feared that he had become a little too attached to Solomon for Solomon's own good. He had loved Lady Aya and had given her every single thing she'd wished for, which killed her in the end. Nathan was afraid he was going to be the death of Solomon.

Nathan sat on the couch where Solomon had fallen asleep with his head on Nathans lap fourteen hours ago, and he was just looking into the dying fire on the other side of the room. _What am I going to do?…_

Solomon turned his head slightly, though he didn't wake up. At least, Nathan didn't think he'd woken up. Solomon was sitting awake, enjoying the warmth Nathan was sharing with him. His eyes were open, but Nathan could not see his face. He was staring at the carpet, half way between the edge of Nathans pink pants and the dying fire. Nathan would never realize how much this was bothering Solomon, but for different reasons.

Solomon was also afraid of becoming too attached to Nathan, but more because he was afraid of replacing either Diva or Saya in his heart. He didn't want things to have changed, and they'd all changed so fast. He'd made bad decisions, no matter how they ended up, and he wasn't sure what to say to Nathan.

Solomon was extremely thankful for everything Nathan had done for him, even if Solomon didn't exactly want the help at the time. Solomon knew he just needed some space to think, but every time him and Nathan started talking, he didn't want to let Nathan go. He felt almost like he had with Diva, where he would do anything for Nathan and it was scaring him. Both Diva and Saya had hurt Solomon while he was doing that, and Solomon didn't need that again.

Solomon did find himself drifting off again, though as he stared at the dying fire.

Another month passed and Solomon was better. Nathan happened to be out at the moment to go check on Diva's children. They were growing up and they were beautiful. Minako and Mizuki. Beautiful names. Mizuki had her mothers blue eyes and Minako received Saya's red eyes. They didn't fight much, but they weren't really old enough to fight yet. Saya went into her next hibernation and Haji had come back and was staying with Kai and the twins in Okinawa. Nathan had been away for the past week and was going to be away for another week, and Solomon had received a phone call from him informing him that Nathan had successfully talked Kai and Haji into letting him visit. Haji had actually been the one who trusted him most when he got there due to the way he'd carried himself during Saya's and Diva's fight.

Solomon was really thinking hard about the matter because Nathan had promised he'd call and Solomon felt his heart jump when the phone finally rang days ago. He was so excited to talk to Nathan and being away from him for the past four days was killing him. He wasn't even sure if he'd last the next week without him.

Solomon sighed, staring at the phone. He wasn't going to, but he wanted to call Nathan. He wanted to talk to Nathan and he badly wanted to be with Nathan.

He walked upstairs, going to go dig through Nathan's closet and find his white suit. He knew what he needed to do, but he just couldn't do it while Nathan wasn't around and he simply couldn't take Nathans clothes with him.

* * *

Nathan had explained to Haji and Kai a little of his past to make them trust him more. Haji had a slight trust for him already after the way he'd nearly 'helped' at the fight, and some explanations of himself really caused Haji to trust him. Kai was more skeptical, however, but he bought it. Nathan was permitted to stay for a couple weeks and spend some time with the twins.

Besides, everyone agreed that it was a good idea to let the twins grow up with an 'uncle' who knew their mother incase Haji and Saya ever decided to leave. David and Julia were living somewhere else with Julia now pregnant with their child. They'd settled down for a bit to raise their child, so Nathan didn't get to see them.

Lewis and Lulu were there, though. Neither of them had any major issues with Nathan, so Nathan fulfilled his promise to Solomon by calling and informing him that he had been successful. Solomon had been happy and Nathan had spent a little over half an hour sitting in the room he'd been provided talking to Solomon.

Once they'd finally stopped talking, Nathan spent most of the time with the twins. To no one's surprise, he was good with kids. They loved their 'uncle', and Nathan enjoyed being with them.

After a little under two weeks, Nathan was already leaving. The twins were as upset as they could get at this age and Haji slightly wondered why he was leaving already. Nathan had to explain to him that he had to go take care of Solomon, and Haji agreed. Haji had no issues with Solomon after everything he had done to help Saya, so Nathan left, promising to come back. Kai didn't quite understand why Nathan would want to serve the next generation of queens if his queen was a couple generations ago, but he didn't argue the point. This type of stuff was simply stuff he might never understand.

So Nathan left for the airport and boarded his plane back to France. Window seat, of course, in first class. He sat on the plane, staring out the window, just thinking. It was the first plane ride where he didn't say a single word to anyone. He just stared out the window at all the passing clouds, thinking to himself.

He had told Haji that he needed to take care of Solomon, but he feared what he was about to do would do more damage than help. He needed to tell Solomon he planned on moving to live with the twins to help raise them. He needed to tell Solomon that he should stay in France and figure some things out for himself. He needed Solomon to be less attached to him, because it wasn't healthy.

Nathan just had to figure out how he was going to do it. He almost hazed over when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around.

"Hi." He looked into the brown eyes of a little girl with long brown hair, a pink bow in the back. She was wearing a nice red dress and her father had fallen asleep in his seat on the other side of her. "My name's Isabella, what's yours?"

Nathan smiled. Little kids were so cute. "Nathan. It's nice to meet you, Isabella."

"Were you thinking? You've been looking out that window for the past thirty minutes."

"Yes, I was."

"What were you thinking about?" Nathan blinked, just staring at the innocence in this little girl. She reminded him of Lady Aya. She had asked so many questions when he was her servant.

"About something I have to do when I arrive in Paris."

"You're going to Paris too?"

"Yes I am. Are you and your father going to Paris?"

"No. My daddy's on business. This is Jeremy. He's our butler. We were just visiting Japan and are going to France. Then we're going to Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, Greece, and somewhere else. I can never remember it's name…"

"My my. That's quite a full schedule you've got. Are you meeting your father at all on it?"

"No. He's back in America. Him and mommy. They wanted me to travel and sent me with Jeremy. Jeremy's fun, though." Nathan couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. It wasn't really a nice life.

"If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"I'm seven."

"Second grade?"

"I'm home schooled. Jeremy is home schooling me while we travel." Nathan's smile faded a little as he glanced over at the sleeping butler. "What do you have to do when you land in Paris?"

Nathan blinked again, looking at the girl. "I have to go talk to someone."

"Who? Is it your _wife_?" She got a smile on her face, and Nathan couldn't help but smile too.

"Not quite, but I think I do love this person."

"Aw! That's so sweet! You should propose! You should buy her a pretty ring and propose!"

"That's just it. I don't know if they like me back. I actually think we're about to split up." The girls eyes dropped a little.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Jeremy says 'I shouldn't snoop in other peoples business'!"

"It's perfectly fine. I'm not actually sure how to do it, though. You see, they're really dependent on me and I want them to stand on their own. They're sick and I need to find a way to make them better, but I don't have the medicine for them."

"Well, you should find the medicine for them! _Or_, you should stay with her!"

"I don't know if staying with them will help, though? I think they'll get better quicker if I leave."

"Well do you want to leave? Do you really _really_ love her?"

Nathan blinked, slightly considering this. Amazing, how little kids can make you think. "I don't really want to leave, and I think I _might_ love them, yes."

Jeremy woke up, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Isabella, you should sit back in your seat. Stop bothering this man."

"No. It's fine. We were having a nice conversation." The girl sat back in her seat as she was told by Jeremy as the pilot came on the intercom saying that they'd be landing in about five minutes. Nathan turned around, buckling his seatbelt according to the rules. They landed and everyone was exiting the plane. When Nathan was waiting for his suitcase, Isabella came up and gave a small tug on his shirt.

"If you love her, you should tell her. You should also tell her that she's sick and explain what you think might make he better. If it's _true_ love, it'll all work out!" Jeremy called to her, saying he'd retrieved their suitcases and they had transportation waiting for them. "Well I've gotta go Nathan! Bye!"

"Bye!" Nathan smiled, waving at her. That very well _might_ have helped him figure out what he was going to do. He had a small idea, though it still wasn't quite what he'd like.

Nathan arrived back at his mansion to see Solomon sitting on the couch in his white suit. "I see that you've gone and found your suit. Any particular reason?"

"Yes I have, and yes there is." Solomon glanced up at Nathan as Nathan brought his suitcases over to the wall, placing them down and glancing at the fireplace.

"Didn't want the fire going?"

"No, my body temperature is normal again. I didn't need it."

"I see."

"How are the twins?"

"They've been named. Minako and Mizuki. Mizuki has Diva's blue eyes, and Minako's are red."

"That's nice." Nathan glanced over at Solomon, whose mind seemed preoccupied.

"Solomon, I met the most _wonderful_ little girl on the plane and I-"

"I think I need to leave, Nathan." Nathan blinked, slightly surprised by this. He glanced over at Solomon, who wasn't looking at him.

"You need to _leave_?"

"Yes." Nathan sat down on top of his suitcase, looking over at Solomon. Solomon was thinking, staring at the fireplace which no longer held any fire for them. "I no longer require your help."

Nathan felt hurt by this, more than he'd like. This was what he had been trying to avoid, either of them being hurt like Nathan was feeling right now. Nathan just wasn't quite so prepared for it as he had been hoping. And, unfortunately, Isabella had gotten his hopes up a little about a chance of being able to keep Solomon with him.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Solomon said it so assuredly, but there seemed to be some uncertainty in his eyes. Nathan didn't realize just how much Solomon was hurting from saying this, just as Solomon didn't quite realize the poison his words were containing for Nathan.

Solomon stood up off the couch. "I waited for you to come back, because I felt I should tell you instead of leaving a note or something."

"You're _really_ sure?…" Nathan was looking at the ground, unsure how to react. Solomon glanced up at Nathan, seeing the slight pain in his eyes. Solomon almost wanted to cry, but he'd ran out of tears over the past months from the nightmares he'd received from Diva after her departure.

"Nathan, I feel this will be best. You can take care of the queens, then. Minako and Mizuki. I'm sure Kai would love to have you helping him, since he wont be around forever, and Haji's loyalty is to Saya."

Nathan looked up at Solomon, who seemed almost as hurt by this as Nathan was feeling. Solomon just wasn't willing to let it boil to the surface.

"Nathan, _please_ don't be upset. I am thankful for everything you've done for me, really. I promise, I really am. I just don't think-"

"What did I do to make you think about leaving?" Solomon blinked at Nathan, who was now staring at the empty fireplace. He seemed shocked.

"It wasn't you, Nathan. I just don't think I need your help anymore-"

"Please don't leave!" Nathan blurted this out before he could think coherently about what he was saying. Something about what Isabella had said to him had his hopes up and Nathan started talking before his mind could catch up. "We could… we could go live in Okinawa with Minako and Mizuki and Haji and Kai and… and Saya when she finally wakes up. We could live with Lewis and Lulu and David and Julia are having a kid! We could see them! And Solomon…" Nathan had slight tears running down his face, and he wasn't the type for crying. "Solomon, I think I-"

"Nathan._ Please_ stop." Solomon hadn't moved from his spot. "Gosh, I feel like I'm just getting to say hi to you, just getting to know you and I'm already saying good-bye. I just can't stay here anymore. I don't belong here. I need to think, I need some space. I… I think I'm completely lost in everything that's happening, and I can't keep doing this. I can't protect generation after generation of queens like you. I don't want to live like that. I need to figure out who I want to spend my life with, since I can't with Diva. And Saya has Haji, so I can't stay with them. I just… I need to think, Nathan."

Nathan had stopped himself, though his eyes were still glued to the same spot. This is what he had originally planned to do and Solomon was making it easier on him. He couldn't figure out why this was bothering him so much. His mind was starting to catch up with what he'd just ranted and what he'd been about to say. _Love you. _He was about to tell Solomon he loved him, when Solomon clearly didn't love him back.

Solomon loved his queen Diva and Saya, that was it. When he stated he needed to think about who he wanted to spend his life with, Nathan's name wasn't mentioned once. Nathan felt crushed. More than he felt was ever possible.

Nathan nodded. "You're absolutely right."

"Thank you, Nathan." Solomon walked over to the door and walked out.

"Good luck." Nathan said it, unaware of whether Solomon was too far away to hear him. Solomon probably ran, so he would be too far to have heard him. Nathan let him walk out, and he felt like an idiot. He felt crushed. He felt like that may have been the stupidest thing he'd ever done, and he felt like crying. More than anything, he felt like crying. Good-bye's were so hard, and Nathan was done saying good-bye.

He stayed at the mansion, devastated for a while before he decided that it was for the best. He'd been deciding to do that anyway, and it would help Solomon figure out who he was. It was best for him.

Nathan packed some bags and went back to Okinawa. It was a quiet plane ride. Nathan was silent the whole time as he went back to Okinawa. Solomon had just walked in and out of Nathans life like Isabella. He'd never see Isabella again, and he'd probably never see Solomon again.

Nathan arrived in Okinawa.


	6. Smile

***Chapter 6***

Smile

A little over twenty years had passed. At first, Nathan had fallen back into the sickness he'd fallen into after he lost Lady Aya. He got himself back on his feet quickly, though, and didn't bother to let the others know. He didn't need to be looked after. He was actually almost better now. The twins were as grown as they'd get and they were wonderful to talk to.

Minako, with red eyes, had long black hair that she kept pulled back in a pony-tale. She enjoyed jeans and low cut shirts most of the time and had taught herself the violin. She was extremely talented, since she went for anything she wanted full force.

Mizuki, with blue eyes, kept her black hair cut short and spiked in the back. She seemed to have grown fond of that look. She was more outgoing than her sister, who enjoyed staying home with her books and violin. Mizuki played piano. She still had a thing or two to learn, since she didn't practice often, but she was getting good.

Kai was getting old. He and Mao had gotten married and had two kids of their own who were in middle school. Saya was still asleep and Haji helped Nathan take care of the twins. They got along just fine.

The twins didn't fight either. They were close, but didn't hang out together as often as Nathan and Haji would have liked.

Nathan still missed Solomon terribly, but he had forced himself to move on. It had been Solomon's decision to leave anyhow, so he did like he had done with Lady Aya; didn't think about it too often.

The twins were a handful anyway. They loved asking all sorts of questions about Diva _and_ Saya. Haji and Nathan answered as many questions as they could, but the twins- once they got going- kept coming up with more and more.

Nathan woke up and went down stairs, like any other day. The twins were already up, chasing each other around and Haji was watching them. Mizuki was trying to keep Minako's mind preoccupied, since she had a concert that evening. She was nervous about going out on a stage and playing her violin by herself, and Mizuki was trying to make her feel better by chasing her around the house.

Mao seemed amused too, but Kai was a little more aggravated. Their kids, Satoshi and Kotone (oldest boy and youngest girl, respectively), came into the room to play with the twins too. Before anyone could stop it, it was a full blown indoor game of tag.

Nathan ducked a flying pillow as he entered the room. "My my, what game have we come up with now."

"It looks like a cross between a pillow fight and a game of tag." Mao was laughing so hard as they chased each other around the living room.

"Perhaps they should all get going to the park to run off some energy before the concert." Nathan looked at the clock, because Kai usually didn't want them going to the park before noon. It was already three o'clock. Geez. Nathan slept in a good bit today.

He'd been really tired recently, so it wasn't as much of a shock to him. He was just glad he hadn't overslept and missed Minako's concert. "I can take them, Kai. C'mon guys, to the park!"

They were all running out the door chasing each other to the park and Nathan followed, walking. He rarely used any of his abilities at all anymore.

They all arrived at the park, the girls enjoying chasing each other and the only boy, Satoshi, sat down on the bench to watch. He was 'too cool' to play with the girls. Nathan rolled his eyes, going over and sitting down next to him.

"Don't wanna play?"

"Nah. Tag's for five year olds anyway."

"Really? You don't think big bad middle schoolers could play tag?"

"I'm in eighth grade, thank you very much! I'm almost a high schooler!"

"Oh. My bad. Guess what? Mizuki and Minako have both graduated from high school, and they're playing tag."

"Well, adults play tag with kids anyway. They've gotta keep the kids amused."

"Is that so? They're not quite adults yet. I wouldn't say they are, anyway, even if they'd like to think so. Besides, you are the man of the family! You should never be too cool to hang out with your sisters."

Satoshi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Technically, I think that's your job."

"No. I'm the super-cool uncle. I've got to make sure that everyone is having fun, including you. Sitting on the bench is no fun. You should go out there and do something. If you always sit on the side, you'll wind up regretting it."

"I don't think I'll regret missing _one_ game of tag."

"You never know. You've got to treat each game as if it's the last. It makes things more fun."

Satoshi rolled his eyes again, looking at Nathan. "Really?"

"Absolutely." Satoshi sighed, standing up and running over to go join the others.

Nathan sat back as the four began chasing each other around the entire park. They never seemed to run out of energy. Nathan smirked, looking at his watch. They had an hour until the concert. Plenty of time to run energy off.

After about twenty-five minutes, Minako stopped running around with the others go to sit with Nathan.

"Why aren't you running around with us?"

"I'm enjoying watching you four. Why have you stopped?"

"I dunno."

"Hm… You sure about that?" He glanced at her, and she didn't look him in the eyes. She was looking at the ground. "I think something's bothering you."

"Uncle Nathan? Have you ever performed before?"

"No, but I've known lots of people who performed?"

"Did they ever get nervous?"

"Some of them, though not all of them. It depends on who you are. I promise, once you start the butterflies will disappear from your stomach."

She smiled giving him a hug.

"Uncle Nathan?"

"Yeah?" He looked down at her as she sat up off of him.

"You said Diva sang in front of a lot of people. Did she get stage-freight?"

Nathan blinked, a little upset that they would pick now to ask more questions. But, they asked questions a lot, so Nathan couldn't be surprised.

"She did perform, but she wasn't nervous. I don't remember her being the nervous type."

"I guess I didn't get that from her."

"She was also a lot older than you. I only knew her for a bit. For all I know, she might have been scared before I knew her. It's something you can grow out of." Mizuki came running over, seeing that Minako had stopped playing.

"What's up, Minako? You stopped?" Mizuki was out of breath, and her hair was all over. It was always in a half mess, though, so it still looked good on her.

"I was just talking to Uncle Nathan." The other two came over after a bit to be with all the others too.

"We done playing?" Kotone was slightly disappointed, but she sat down on the other side of Nathan. Mizuki took a seat in the grass in front of Minako, her black hair falling over her right eye. Satoshi remained standing.

"I guess we're sitting around for a bit…" Nathan smirked at how quickly the pace of the afternoon changed from overly-energized kids chasing each other to everyone sitting around. "So do you have your violin and music, or do we have to go back and get it?"

"No. Kai and Mao are bringing it with them when they pick us all up. I think you, Haji, Lewis, and Lulu are all going in a separate car from us."

"Gee… can't imagine why."

"Shut up, Mizuki!"

"Hey. Lets play nice right now. It's a big day."

"I want to keep playing tag…" Nathan glanced over at Kotone, who never ever ran out of energy. "Will you play with us, Uncle Nathan?" They'd all adopted the habit of calling him 'uncle'.

"I don't really think so."

"Why not?…"

"I'm tired. That's all."

"You're _always_ tired!"

"Really. How can you be tired after sleeping in till three o'clock?" Mizuki said. Nathan simply shrugged the question off, but it wasn't dropped. "I think you miss someone."

Nathan looked down at Mizuki. "And how would you know?…"

"Whenever I miss my boyfriend, I either can't sleep or sleep all the time."

"So uncle Nathan misses his boyfriend?" Kotone was only in sixth grade and had a habit of taking things too literally. "Why haven't _we_ met him?" Mizuki put her face in her hands.

"I didn't mean that so literally, Kotone. I just meant he misses _some_one…"

"Oh… Who do you miss, uncle Nathan?" Nathan shook his head.

"I-"

"Is it Solomon or James? Whenever we ask questions about our mothers Chevalier, you told us that you don't know what happened to them. James left and so did Solomon. Do you miss one of them?… perhaps…" Nathan looked over at Minako. So observant.

There was really no point in trying to lie to them, since they'd keep pestering anyway. "I suppose I do."

"We should try and find them!" Kotone, again. Always hopefully. She almost reminded Nathan of Isabella.

"I don't think it's that simple, Kotone." Satoshi looked up from the ground over at his little sister. "They've been gone for longer than we've been alive, so I don't think they'd be too easy to find." They all looked over as they heard the sound of a honking horn, and they saw a black car pull up to the road outside the park.

Mao leaned her head out the window and yelled for them. "C'mon! We wanna get there early enough to find good seats!"

Nathan smiled. "Go on. You wouldn't want to be late or make Mao mad." Kotone ran off, followed to Satoshi. Mizuki stood up off the grass, waiting for Minako. Minako hugged Nathan and then ran off with Mizuki. "I'll see you at the concert uncle Nathan!"

"Uncle Nathan?…" Nathan blinked at the sound of the familiar voice that he heard just after the car pulled away. He turned his head from the direction of the road to face the closest tree in the park where he could see Solomon leaning under it.

"Yeah… they all call me 'uncle'." Solomon nodded, looking at Nathan.

"You know, some people don't need to be found by others."

"I realized that, but Kotone can be really hopeful sometimes." Nathan wasn't wearing his normal white suit. He'd actually switched over to a black suit at this point. He walked over to Nathan, sitting down next to him on the bench and looking off up the road.

"What's all this I keep hearing about a concert?"

"Oh, Minako has a concert tonight. She's playing the violin by herself and I told her I'd come see her. She's really good, and she's nervous."

"Ah." Solomon glanced up at the sky in front of them. It was beautiful and clear today.

"Do you plan on staying for the concert? I'm sure the others would love to see you ." Solomon looked down at Nathans leg, not saying anything for a moment.

"I don't plan on leaving, Nathan." Nathan sat in silence, looking over at Solomon. Solomon reached over, taking Nathans hand in his and leaning his head on Nathan's shoulder. "Nathan… I think I _finally_ figured out who I want to spend my life with, and I don't plan on giving them up so easily again."

Nathan squeezed Solomon's hand tighter, looking up to the sky.

"Nathan, I… I think I love you, Nathan."

Nathan smiled. "I love you too, Solomon."

_**Fin**_

Notice: Look for the sequel _Sunset_, to come soon.

Please Rate and Review. I would love to hear your input and hear some suggestions. Likes and Dislikes are also nice.


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